Pirates of the Savannah
by Flintfur
Summary: The gang are working at an animal sanctuary in Africa, but with poachers on the prowl, rising waters and a weird restlessness between the animals. They may get more than they bargained for. AU
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1:**

_Hey, this is my first One Piece fanfiction ever. Inspiration from a variety of things though mostly from my recent Geography report on how deforestation helps global warming._

_So the basic plot is the Mugiwara gang are in the African Savannah (plus Vivi, minus Chopper) and they all work at this animal sanctuary, so its AU. It'll probably start becoming yaoi in later chapters (ZoLu or ZoSan) so you've been warned. Other than that, I had fun writing this, I hope you enjoy reading it._

_**Disclaimer**: All characters are copyright to Oda-sensei. _

Thunder streaked across the black sky, lighting up the savannah landscape for a brief moment. Torrential rain lashed down, drenching everything.

"We're lucky this place is on high ground though, any lower and this whole spot would be under water," the girl said.

She tossed back her long blue hair and continued reading her book, keeping a watchful eye on who she shared the building with.

"Under water?" he blinked. "That would be cool!"

A young boy was perched outside of the window looking outwards excitedly. His face was split into a grin as he gazed outwards and his eyes widened every time the lightning split the sky. You could practically _feel _the happiness radiating from him.

"Come away from the window, its dangerous during a storm," she advised.

Reluctantly the boy pried himself away from the panel of glass and flopped onto a chair at the table, pouting the whole time.

"I see you like the African rain Luffy," she commented trying to spark a conversation.

"Yeah, it's so cool! It doesn't rain for ages then suddenly, it's like the sky is falling!" he shouted excitedly and glanced back at the window as if to make sure it was there.

The girl rolled her eyes. There really was no way to keep him from what he liked. "Fine, go back to the window,"

Luffy's face broke into a huge smile. "Thanks Vivi!"

He hopped off the chair and scurried to his ever loved window, pressing his face against the glass.

"Oh I forgot to mention Luffy," she said turning a page. "Our new boarders are going to be arriving in the next day or so, I hope the rain lets up,"

"Boarders?" he asked, the window forgotten. "Isn't that, that book store? Boarders are going to built next to us?"

Vivi chuckled lightly at the boy. "No, boarders as in people who are going to live in this house with us, their going to help us with the sanctuary,"

Vivi and Luffy worked as the sole employees of an animal sanctuary based in Africa. The man who owned the land had recently hired several new people and they were due to arrive soon.

"New friends? Yay!"

"All of their belongings are upstairs, they were delivered yesterday. I think there's around four coming," unfortunately Vivi's information fell upon deaf ears as the boy dashed upstairs, eager to rummage through his new friends stuff.

"Don't make a mess!" she called.

--------------------------------------

The coach's engine roared as it plummeted through the rain, driving over the slowly ascending, bumpy, landscape.

"Are you _sure _this is safe, driving through a storm like this?" Nami asked the driver. Again.

He merely waved a hand absently as he had been doing to all her previous questions.

"If you had two hands on the wheel, I think it'll help with your driving," the redhead suggested.

"Just go back to your seat, and stop bugging me," he grunted.

The girl retreated from the driver's side and found her way slowly, due to the constant bumps and jerks, back to her seat, sitting down with a sigh.

"You know this is just like one of those horror movies," she said trying to start a conversation.

"_Horror_ movie?" a black haired boy squeaked, grasping the back of his seat tightly.

"Yeah, in a weird country a few innocent people are driving through the rain and lightning, when suddenly their coach breaks down!"

Everybody in the coach waited for that little pop of a tyre, or the hiss or air escaping from it. Nope. All they heard was the infernal rain pounding against the roof of the coach, the thunder, the engine and the snores of the green haired man at the back.

"Why _is_ he sleeping in a time like this?"

"Maybe he's stupid," a blonde boy suggested, turning to face the back.

"So stupid people, sleep?" the black haired boy asked, pausing before saying "sleep".

"Shut up long nose," the blonde said, shooting a look that could kill.

"Sanji, don't be mean to Usopp," Nami sighed.

"Anything for you, Nami-swan!" Sanji shouted, directing his attention back to the girl.

Usopp grinned from behind the blonde's back and mouthed a "_Thank you_," The redhead smirked and then mouthed "_You owe me_,"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

Vivi sighed, reckoning the boy had been up there too long for simply rummaging through other peoples possessions. Memorizing the page number, she set the book down and got up from the chair. Pushing it under the table she approached the stairs and started climbing, gripping the railing.

"Luffy?" she called, brushing a strand of hair back.

She reached the landing of the second floor, which was simply a narrow corridor going one way, with separate rooms branching off. The floor was a total mess. Boxes, clothes, tubs and tubes of random things and what looked like a _sword _where strewn across the floor.

Many of the boxes were opened, the flaps hanging off, accidentally taken off by an overeager boy. Most of the tubes and tubs had been opened and their contents splattered across the floor, walls and…roof. A thick smell of perfume, mint and paint hung in the air.

"Luffy," she said hopelessly. She had just finished cleaning the house up for the new boarders.

Opening the doors and peering inside into the now, extremely messy rooms, Vivi started her search for the raven-haired menace. Picking her way down the corridor, being careful not to step into any of the puddles or be rained upon by it either she finally reached the last room which happened to be Luffy's.

Ironically this one was the least messy with mostly clothes and _another_ sword in here. Most of the clothes look like Luffy had tried them one, and he was still wearing one, _his _red shirt and blue jeans lost. The boy was curled up on his bed, sleeping soundly, his chest rising and falling.

Whoever the dress belonged to was going to go _mad_. The boy had somehow fit himself into a woman's red dress, the chest part hanging loosely on the boys chest while the straps on his shoulders were strained, looked like they were going to break.

Vivi was tempted to take a photo. The boy looked _adorable_. She walked up to the boy in woman's clothing and gently shook his shoulders in an attempt to wake him up.

"Urg….huh?" he blearily said. "Hey Vivi!"

"You'd better help clear this up," she said sternly.

"I was only playing with our new friends stuff," he replied like a guilty child would.

"So you wearing that dress is, playing? I never remember you rummaging through my things,"

"I can Vivi? Thanks!" he shouted, bouncing off the bed and already scurrying towards the open door.

"Wait, no! I didn't mean you could!" Vivi ran forward, avoiding the numerous hazards on the floor.

Luffy paused in the doorway and grinned. "You must have some good stuff if you want to keep it secret!" Before dashing off again for Vivi's room, the skirt part of the dress, billowing behind him.

--------------------------------------

"This it?" Usopp asked looking out of the window.

"Its kind of looks like the photo, maybe you can't tell because it's so dark," Nami said.

"Well, the Great Captain Usopp, has the best eyesight out of all of us!" he declared, and as an afterthought, "Tripled."

"Well he's not going to see much if he's sleeping,"

"I think we've stopped," Usopp nervously said.

Nami got up from her seat and picked up her handbag. "Come on you guys, Sanji wake him up please,"

"Anything for you Nami-swan!" Sanji shouted.

He walked to the back of the bus where the green haired boy lay sleeping on the far seat.

"Oi, Algae-head, wake up," he said, crinkling his nose as if smelling something vile.

Sanji poked the young man. Hard. In the head. With his foot.

"Shit…who's doing that?" the green haired man mumbled grumpily. He looked up and saw Sanji. "Oh, Princess,"

"Come on we've stopped, time to get off," Sanji replied curtly turning on the heel of his foot. "Nami-swan, wait for me!"

The "Algae-head" quickly snagged a look out of the window before un-boarding the coach. Still raining. Wasn't it supposed to be dry or something in Africa, deserts and all that? And to get stuck with the Princess, some random scared kid and this girl, and to be expected to be outside all day, sweating with these absurd animals.

If Nami hadn't reminded him of his overwhelming debt, there would've been no way on Earth he would've come.

He stepped out from the coach and almost instantly, he was soaked. Sanji better be too. He walked, as casually as he could to where the others where, shivering under an overhang of the roof of the house.

"Did you ring the doorbell?" he asked, squeezing under as well.

"Yeah, I don't think they heard us though," Nami replied.

"Do you think lion's prowl around in rain like this?" Usopp asked his eyes fearful.

Nobody answered, except that the green haired man snorted.

"There were fences, didn't you see them?" he said as if the others would have to be blind not to.

"You were asleep! How did _you_?"

--------------------------------------

Luffy ran down the hall, ignoring what ever he stepped into or what fell onto him from the roof. Giggling, he dived into Vivi's room which he had conveniently until now, left untouched.

"Luffy!" Vivi shouted.

"Vivi this is pretty!" he exclaimed holding up one of her tops. "And it smells nice too!" he cried, muffled because his face was buried into the fabric.

"Hmm? What has that?" he asked suddenly. "The doorbell!"

Dashing out of the room, the top still in his hand and the dress still on, he raced down the stairs and was just about to open the door.

Vivi had just enough time to see a red blur leg it out of her room and down the stairs. In a feeble attempt to stop him she ran after the boy and just reached the top of the stairs when Luffy opened the door.

"Hi!" she heard him say.

"Why the hell are you wearing my dress?" she heard by the sound, an extremely angry girl shout.

--------------------------------------

_That was fast for me. Luffy's such a fun character to write. :3_

**Digitaldreamer:** Oh yes, Luffy likes the rain. First reviewer! gives cookie


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

"This is _yours_?" Luffy asked blinking. "You should share; we could trade clothes and stuff!"

"Go away Luffy!" Vivi hissed pushing him aside. "Hey, you must be the new boarders. Come on in, out of the rain!"

Luffy looked on dejectedly as the wet gang of four came into the house and he shut the door behind them.

"Now why _are_, you wearing my clothes?" Nami suddenly asked, turning to face the boy and poking him hard in the chest.

"But it's so pretty! How could you resist?" Luffy cried twirling around. "And Vivi said I could!"

Vivi's face flushed bright red as Luffy put the blame on her and she immediately rushed over to him, and ushered him upstairs.

"Well that boy's an idiot," the swordsman said yawning loudly.

"I dead one at that," Nami muttered.

Upstairs, Luffy was trying to explain how Vivi had told him that he could look through their stuff.

"When you bake cookies, you say "Don't touch them," that means you want me to touch them cause' otherwise it would've later until I've found them." He said rolling his eyes as if Vivi should have known. "So when you said "The boarders stuff is upstairs," I learned that they were up here. But you didn't say what I could do with it so I thought it was an "anything goes" time,"

Vivi arched an eyebrow. "Reverse psychology? But if I say "Do, do that" you shouldn't,"

Luffy cocked his head. "But you're telling me to do something, so I should,"

"If I told you to jump off a cliff, would you?" Vivi asked sighing.

"Will you give me wings?" Luffy answered grinning.

"Take off that dress in your room, find your _own_ clothes and put them on. Then come downstairs and apologize to that girl," Vivi told him.

"Sorry, can I make you a drink?" she asked coming downstairs.

"Dartboard beat you to it," Zoro grunted from the table, lowering the glass from his lips.

"Oh Ok," Vivi said, her face falling. "Sorry, but I don't know your names,"

"I'm Nami," she said smiling.

"I'm, The Great Captain Usopp!" he declared grinning.

"Zoro."

"Sanji, but call me Prince!"

Vivi smiled at their enthusiasm. "I'm Vivi, and the boy upstairs is Luffy, he'll be down soon,"

"What's all the over the floor?" Sanji asked bringing the others attention to the Luffy sized footprints, leading from the stairs to the door.

"Luffy decided to check if you had all your belongings. Some of them were, liquids," Vivi lied sighing.

"And he decided to _stand _in my makeup?" Nami questioned, stomping towards the stairs.

"And my paint," Usopp whimpered sadly.

"He better not have touched my swords," Zoro growled, standing.

"Or my cooking utensils,"

And at that time Luffy decided to appear at the top of the stairs, fitted in his own red top and blue jeans. "Hey, why does everyone look so angry?"

--------------------------------------

"Who's is this?" Zoro asked holding up a book titled "_How to handle your Busy Life_".

"Mine!" Nami shouted, rushing over and snatching the book from the man.

"Hey, why'd you need that anyways? You get everyone else to do everything for you,"

"Your debt's rising," she growled.

"Go eat a knife," he growled back, turning to the piles of objects.

"Nami-swan, is this yours?" Sanji asked, holding up yet _another _piece of clothing.

"Yes, thank you Sanji," she said sweetly, disappearing afterwards for a brief moment to put it in Vivi's room. The girls were in that room.

"Oi, boy," Zoro said, struggling to remember his name. "You said you knew where my other sword was?"

Luffy's face was blank for a moment, before registering that Zoro had been talking to him. "Oh yes, it's in mine and Sanji's room!"

"Hey, since when have I been with you?"

"Do you want to be with Zoro or Usopp?" Luffy asked.

"You make it sound like you and Sanji are _together_," Zoro said, heading towards Luffy's room.

"You and Usopp are together!" Luffy happily exclaimed missing the point, which the others caught.

"What? Zoro and Usopp are a couple?" Nami suddenly chirped from inside her room. "But it must be too soon, you've only met!"

"How did this conversation dwindle from me asking where my sword is, to debating if me and Usopp are together!" Zoro shouted. "Which we're not!"

"But aren't we all couples in our rooms?" Luffy asked.

Sanji, Usopp and Nami exchanged glances. "No."

"What the hell _is_ that?" everyone heard Zoro shouted from Luffy's room. "Get lost you slinky!"

A brown streak ran from Luffy's room and out into the hallway. It rose up onto its hind legs fearfully gazing back.

"Stumpy!" Luffy cried running up to the meerkat.

"That hurt, you son of a bitch!" Zoro cried coming out of the room, sword in one hand. "I ought to wring its little neck!"

"No Zoro, don't hurt Stumpy! He's our pet!" Luffy shouted, scooping the meerkat up in his arms and presenting it to Zoro, by shoving it in his face. "See isn't he cute?"

"You have a slinky for a pet?" Zoro asked, eyeing its mouth which was filled with tiny, sharp teeth.

"Meerkats make good pets!" Luffy exclaimed, hugging Stumpy.

"Keep the damn thing away from me," Zoro huffed, going to drop off his katana in his room. "Sanji, the slinky craps in your room by the way,"

Later, when more or less of all the belongings, had been returned to their rightful owners, "W-what are those s-swords f-for Zoro?"

"Eh?" he asked, shedding his shirt and simply leaving it on the floor. "I just practice with them; I can't get rusty simply if I'm going to another country,"

"I s-suppose," Usopp stammered, crawling into his bed.

"What was that camera for?" Zoro asked as he too slipped into his bed.

"Taking pictures," Usopp squeaked as Zoro turned the lamp off.

"I knew that, of what?" the green-haired swordsman muttered.

"The animals, I promised I would show the photos to Kaya,"

"She a girl?"

"Course," Usopp said.

"Good. Now we're _defiantly_ not a couple,"

--------------------------------------

**Authors Notes: **_Apparently meerkats do not make good pets according to an article I read, and yes, Stumpy does actually have some minor importance to the plot. Zoro got some pie in this chapter. :3_


End file.
